The Grand Valley State volleyball team will begin their 2019 campaign in the Tar Heel state this weekend despite Hurricane Dorian entering the Carolinas. The storm did however force the team to alter their schedule. On Friday (Sep. 6), GVSU will be in Charlotte at the Queens Fall Classic where they will play Lander University at 12:45 P.M. and Lenoir-Rhyne University at 7:30 P.M. The team will then travel 112 miles southeast to Pembroke, N.C. on Saturday to compete in the UNC Pembroke Invitational. The Lakers will take on the host, UNC Pembroke, at 12:00 P.M. followed by Coker at 4:00 P.M.  
 
Head coach Deanne Scanlon is entering her 25th season at the helm of the GVSU Volleyball program in 2019. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Scanlon has amassed a 590-206 (.741) overall record and a 331-97 (.773) GLIAC record. The program has won 12 GLIAC Regular Season Championships and six GLIAC Tournament Championships, while making six final four appearances including a national championship in 2005 under Scanlon's direction. Associate head coach Jason Johnson has been alongside Scanlon the last 20 seasons, while assistant coaches Callie Youngman and Tyler VanHeukelom enter their first season in Allendale.
 
In the 2019 GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Lakers were picked to finish third in the GLIAC South Division behind Wayne State (#2) and Ashland (#1). Following GVSU was Davenport in fourth, Wisconsin-Parkside in fifth, and Purdue Northwest in sixth.
 
Last season the Lakers finished 13-15 overall and 6-10 in GLIAC play while falling to Michigan Tech in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament.
 
The 2019 roster features two seniors, six sophomores, and 10 freshmen. Kendall Yerkes and Frankie Cavallaro, the teams lone seniors, will look to lead a young group that only returns seven letterwinners from a season ago. Yerkes was one of four Lakers to play in all 28 matches and 100 sets last season, leading the team in digs with 449. Cavallaro returns after battling through injuries to start last season but saw action in 17 matches down the stretch and looks to close her career with a strong senior season. She finished second on the team with 217 assists a year ago.
 
Also returning is sophomore Ali Thompson who earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention as a freshman. The Cincinnati, Ohio native was one of just three Lakers to start in all 28 matches while ranking second in the GLIAC with .38 service aces per set. Classmate Abby Graham will look to improve upon a solid freshman campaign where she started in all 28 matches and ranked fourth on the team with 161 kills.
 
 Here is a brief preview of each team the Lakers will face in North Carolina:
 
* GVSU will meet each of the four opponents for the first time in the program's history.
 
 Lander University – Friday, September 6 – 12:45 P.M. (Queens Fall Classic, Charlotte, N.C.)

The Bearcats out of Greenville, South Carolina finished 22-8 overall last season with an 8-4 record in Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play. After falling in the conference tournament semifinal to Augusta, Lander earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament where they dropped the opening round match to Anderson in straight sets. Sophomore Madilyn Reed is the reigning Peach Belt Conference Setter of the Year, while junior Hannah Hritz and senior Hannah McManus each earned Second Team All-Peach Belt Conference.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne University – Friday, September 6 – 7:30 P.M. (Queens Fall Classic, Charlotte, N.C.)
 
The Bears, located in Hickory, North Carolina, finished 17-11 overall a season ago with a 11-9 record in South Atlantic Conference (SAC) play. Lenoir-Rhyne made a run to the DII Regional Finals in 2015 before having back-to-back seasons below the .500 mark in 2016 and 2017. The 2019 squad will return Helen Hamilton who earned South Atlantic Conference All-Freshman team last season and Taylor Prall who garnered South Atlantic Conference Honorable Mention honors.
 
UNC Pembroke – Saturday, September 7 – 12:00 P.M. (UNC Pembroke Invitational, Pembroke, N.C.)
 
The Braves out of Pembroke, N.C. finished 10-21 overall last season with an 0-12 Peach Belt Conference record. Senior Anna Heinz who led the team in digs in 2018 and redshirt sophomore Ashley Caesar who recorded a team-high 60 blocks are key returners for Pembroke.
 
Coker College – Saturday, September 7 – 4:00 P.M. (UNC Pembroke Invitational, Pembroke, N.C.)
 
The Cobras, located in Hartsville, South Carolina, finished 13-16 overall and 5-15 in South Atlantic Conference (SAC) play a year ago. Coker returns senior Taylor du Bray who earned All-Conference Honorable Mention last season. Bray set the single season kills record finishing with 373 kills.